Mechanism for the interconnection of throttle linkages in multi-engined vehicles



June 13, 1967 A. J. WILKINSON 3,324,658

MECHANISM FOR THE INTERGONNECTION 0F THROTTLE LINKAGES IN MULTI-ENGINED VEHICLES Filed Sept. 8, 1964 r/isr [/Vl/VE 77/107715/4} F/IPST [IS/17f ni /P0771! .S'COA/DfA/d/A'f Mani/25(5) F I G. 2

United States Patent 3,324,658 MECHANISM FOR THE INTERCONNECTION 0F THROTTLE LINKAGES IN MULTI-ENGINED VE- HICLES Arnold J. Wilkinson, Keats Terrace, Cambridge, North Island, New Zealand Filed Sept. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 394,847 Claims priority, application New Zealand, Nov. 26, 1963, 136,671 6 Claims. (Cl. 60-97) This invention relates to mechanism for the interconnection of throttle linkages in multi-engined vehicles and more particularly to throttle linkages between engines associated with differing types of transmission wherein one engine has a transmission including a manually-operated gearbox and the other engine or engines have transmission or transmissions including an automatically-operated gearbox or gearboxes.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved mechanism for the inter-connection of throttle linkages in multiengined vehicles whereby during the operation of the vehicle power can be applied to move the vehicle at all times and at all speeds.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved mechanism for the inter-connection of throttle linkages in multi-engined vehicles whereby the driver may elfect at least partial control over all engines from one foot operated throttle pedal.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved mechanism for the inter-connection of throttle linkages in multi-engined vehicles whereby upon the release of the foot operated throttle pedal all engines are throttled back to such a throttle opening as would permit them to return to an idling speed were they freed from their respective transmissions.

According to this invention, the mechanism for the inter-connections of throttle linkages in multi-engined vehicles includes a foot operated throttle pedal adapted to control one engine and partially control the remaining engine or engines, a throttle lever capable of pre-setting the throttles of the remaining engine or engines, the combination of said throttle pedal and said throttle lever being such that with the throttle lever set to operate the remaining engine or engines at a predetermined power output, said throttle setting is over-ridden by the operation of the throttle pedal to the extent that the remaining engine or engines idle only when the throttle pedal is fully released, the initial movement of the throttle pedal being adapted to bring the throttle settings of the remaining engine or engines to the pre-determined setting as set by the throttle lever, with the remainder of the movement of which the throttle pedal is capable of being available to serve to adjust the throttle opening of the first engine only.

In describing this invention reference will be made to an arrangement involving two engines, a forward engine with a manually operated gearbox and a rear engine with an automatically operated gearbox. It will be appreciated that any number of engines with automatic gearboxes with their throttles inter-connected may be used in conjunction with the engine with the manual gearbox and still lie within the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

This particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing operation of the throttle pedal;

FIG. 2 is a schematic wiring diagram showing the means whereby the power output of the rear engine is pre-set, and

FIG. 3 is a view generally similar to FIGURE 1 of the 3 ,324,658 Patented June 13, 1967 modifications in which the throttle pedal is divided into two sub-pedals.

Referring to the drawings the mechanism of this invention may include a pedal 1 adapted to be operated by a foot of the operator, a micro-switch 2 adapted to be operated by the initial movement of the pedal 1 and a mechanical linkage shown at 3 operably connects the pedal 1 and a throttle 4 of the first or forward engine whereby the movement of the pedal 1, subsequent to the operation of the micro-switch 2 Whose purpose will be hereinafter described, progressively operates the throttle 4 of the forward engine.

A throttle 5 for the second or rear engine can be preset by a throttle lever 5a to a pro-determined position consistent with giving a desired quantity of power to drive the vehicle. The micro-switch 2 is in an electric circuit with a solenoid 6 which is controlled by the micro-switch 2 and the throttle lever to operate the throttle 5 of the rear engine.

The solenoid 6 may be constructed in the normal manner with a fixed winding 7 and a movable bar 8 therewithin and may be provided with a number of taps 9 along the length of and on the winding 7.

In this preferred form of the invention, the throttle lever 5a operates a multi-position switch 143 and the solenoid 6 includes as many taps 9 along its winding 7 as there are positions 11 provided for the switch 10 so that by the operation of the hand lever, the switch 10 is capable of directing electric current to different taps 9 along the winding 7 and is thereby capable of causing the bar 8 to operate the throttle 5 of the rear engine by a mechanical linkage 3a to a degree as pre-determined by the setting of the switch 10 by the hand lever 5a.

The example shown in FIG. 2 illustrates the solenoid as having two taps 9, with one tap being situated medially of the length of the solenoid 6 and the other tap at the rear end of the solenoid. When the electrical current is directed by the multi-position switch 10 to the medially positioned tap 9, the bar 8 is caused to move only halfway along the length of the solenoid 6 thereby half opening the throttle 5 of the rear engine. The switch 10 is shown as having two positions directing current to the two taps 9 on the winding 7. With the solenoid 6 in its dormant or inactive state, the rear engine has its throttle 5 opened sufiiciently to allow an idling speed only. Upon the actuation of the micro-switch 2, the solenoid 6 is energized thus allowing the throttle 5 of the rear engine to be brought up to the setting as previously determined by the setting of the multi-position switch 10 by the throttle lever.

In the operation of the multi-position switch 10 in conjunction With the micro-switch 2 and the solenoid 6, electrical current is supplied to the micro-switch 2, which when closed by the initial movement of the throttle pedal 1, allows current to flow to the multi-position switch 10 which directs the current through one of its contacts 11, to a tap 9 on the winding 7 to operate the solenoid 6 and causes the bar 8 thereof to move and open or partially open the throttle 5.

Thus, in the operation of this invention as applied to a two engined vehicle wherein the forward engine has a transmission including a manually operated gearbox which necessitates the de-clutching and changing of gears thereof and a rear engine provided with transmission including an automatically-operated gearbox of the torque converter and epicyclic stepped ratio type, each engine is started separately and with the throttle pedal 1 in its released condition, the multi-position switch 10 is set by the throttle lever to give a desired quantity of power deliverable from the rear engine. The clutch of the first engine is disengaged and its transmission placed in a desired gear consistent with the conditions under which the vehicle is to operate.

The throttle pedal 1 is then depressed to close the microswitch 2 to activate the solenoid 6 to cause the rear engine to give power to the vehicle as determined by the setting of the multi-position switch by the throttle lever. The throttle pedal is then further depressed to operate the throttle 4 of the forward engine to give further power to the vehicle through the forward engine. As the vehicle increases speed, it will be necessary for the operator to change the gears of the gearbox of the forward engine into a higher gear ratio and to effect this, the throttle pedal 1 is then eased back to reduce the speed of the forward engine and allow the changing of the gears of its associated gearbox. During this operation, the rear engine is still delivering the pre-determined quantity of power to drive the vehicle and maintain its speed.

By this system, power may be permanently applied to drive the vehicle even during the manual changing of gears of the forward engine. This has specific advantages when the vehicle is heavily laden and/or ascending a hill. Under such circumstances, were it necessary to declutch both engines for normal gear changing, the vehicle would lose considerable speed during the de-clutching and gear changing operation and when the gears were finally changed to give a higher gear ratio there would not be sufficient power to maintain the vehicle at its reduced speed.

Further, by this invention should the driver for any reason desire to brake or slow the vehicle down quickly he has only to release the throttle pedal fully to reduce the throttle openings of both engines to that consistent with an idling speed.

In an alternate form of this invention shown in FIG- 3 the throttle pedal may be divided into two sub-pedals 1a and 1b, capable of being independently actuated, such that the foot of an operator is able either to depress both sub-pedals simultaneously or depress either one independently of the other to effect individual control over either engine. Preferably the two sub-pedals are pivotally mounted adjacent each other on a common axis.

In this form of the invention sub-pedal 1a will actuate the throttle 4a of the forward engine via mechanical linkage 3a and the sub-pedal II) will actuate the microswitch 2a to cause the throttle setting of the rear engine to be brought up to the setting as set by the throttle lever.

This invention may be adapted to interconnect the throttles of two engines, such as that of a lorry or truck and that of a trailer adapted to be hitched to the lorry, the forward engine being that of the lorry and the rearward engine being accommodated in the trailer and adapted to deliver power to the wheels of the trailer. Alternatively, the rearward engine may be mounted to a subframe to form a power unit which may be removably secured to any part of a vehicle to drive any wheels of the vehicle.

This power unit may be mounted on the lorry to drive a second set of driving wheels on the lorry or may be mounted on a trailer to be towed by the lorry. The trailer may be an independent trailer having at least three wheels and preferably four or may form the trailer of an articulated lorry.

The invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity to the showing in the drawings but changes or modifications may be made therein so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I do claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States of America is:

1. A mechanism for the interconnection of throttles for vehicles of the type having a first engine throttle and at least a second engine throttle; said mechanism comprising a throttle pedal operably connected with the first engine throttle; solenoid-operated means operably connected with the at least second engine throttle; an electrical circuit including therein switch means having a plurality of positions; a multi-tap solenoid and a circuitbreaking means; each tap for the solenoid having an electrical connection with a separate one of the positions of the switch means; a throttle lever operably connected with the switch means and having a lever setting corresponding to each position of the switch means; the circuit-breaking means being actuable to close the electrical circuit upon depression of the throttle pedal through a predetermined distance, whereby upon setting of the throttle lever to the desired setting and the depression of the throttle pedal through said predetermined distance, said electrical circuit is closed and the solenoid-operated means and thus the at least second engine throttle is 0perated to a degree dependent upon the lever setting of the throttle lever.

2. A mechanism for the interconnection of throttles for vehicles of the type having a first engine throttle and a second engine throttle; said mechanism comprising a throttle pedal operably connected with the first engine throttle; solenoid-operated means operably connected with the second engine throttle; an electrical circuit including therein a multi-position switch, a multi-tap solenoid and a circuit-breaking means; each tap on the solenoid having an electrical connection with a separate one of the position of the multi-position switch; a throttle lever operably connected with the multi-position switch and having a lever setting corresponding to each position of the mul-ti-position switch; the circuit-breaking means being actuable to close the electrical circuit upon depression of the throttle pedal through a predetermined distance, whereby upon setting of the lever to the desired setting and depression of the throttle pedal through said predetermined distance, said electrical circuit is closed and the solenoid-operated means and thus the second engine throttle is operated to a degree dependent upon the lever setting of the throttle lever.

3. The mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which the operative connection between the throttle pedal and the first engine throttle is defined by mechanical linkage means related to the pedal and throttle.

4. The mechanism as claimed in claim 3 including a micro-switch in the electrical circuit adapted to be actuated by the initial movement of the throttle pedal so that upon closing of the micro-switch, current is supplied to said switch means.

5. The mechanism 'as claimed in claim 4 in which said throttle pedal includes two sub-pedals, with one sub-pedal being operably related to the first engine throttle and the other sub-pedal being operably related to the microswitch.

6. The mechanism as claimed in claim 5 in which said sub-pedals are mounted adjacent each other on a common axis.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,889,295 11/1932 Rosatelli 60-97 X 2,406,264 8/ 1946 Stevens 6097 2,608,104 8/1952 Feeney et al. 6097 X 2,637,169 5/1953 Fell 60-97 2,692,156 10/1954 Canetta et al 6097 X 2,847,872 8/1958 Todd 6097 X 2,884,807 5/1959 Frick 6097 X 2,953,936 9/1960 Wiley 74-478 FOREIGN PATENTS 804,649 11/ 8 Great Britain.

MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT R. BUNEVICH, Examiner. 

1. A MECHANISM FOR THE INTERCONNECTION OF THROTTLES FOR VEHICLES OF THE TYPE HAVING A FIRTST ENGINE THROTTLE AND AT LEAST A SECOND ENGINE THROTTLE; SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING A THROTTLE PEDAL OPERABLY CONNECTED WITH THE FIRST ENGINE THROTTLE; SOLENOID-OPERATED MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED WITH THE AT LEAST SECOND ENGINE THROTTLE; AND ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INCLUDING THEREIN SWITCH MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS; A MULTI-TAP SOLENOID AND A CIRCUITBREAKING MEANS; EACH TAP FOR THE SOLENOID HAVING AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION WITH A SEPARATE ONE OF THE POSITIONS OF THE SWITCH MEANS; A THROTTLE LEVER OPERABLY CONNECTED WITH THE SWITCH MEANS AND HAVING A LEVER SETTING CORRESPONDING TO EACH POSITION OF THE SWITCH MEANS; THE CIRCUIT-BREAKING MEANS BEING ACTUABLE TO CLOSE THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT UPON DEPRESSION OF THE THROTTLE PEDAL THROUGH A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, WHEREBY UPON SETTING OF THE THROTTLE LEVER TO THE DESIRED SETTING AND THE DEPRESSION OF THE THROTTLE PEDAL THROUGH SAID PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, SAID ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT IS CLOSED AND THE SOLENOID-OPERATED MEANS AND THUS THE AT LEAST SECOND ENGINE THROTTLE IS OPERATED TO A DEGREE DEPENDENT UPON THE LEVER SETTING OF THE THROTTLE LEVER. 